Consciousness, Rationality, Identity, and the Human Condition

The course raises some key philosophical questions pertaining to the nature of the self, its relation to the world, and the human condition. 1) What is the nature of personal identity over time, i.e., how do persons persist over time despite the physical and psychological changes they undergo along the way? And what is the prudential and moral significance of personal identity? 2) How do historical processes impact human identity, consciousness, and the human condition? Not least when it comes to the technological age and technical devices. 3) How does consciousness relate to the world, and what is the connection between intentionality and phenomenal consciousness? Can consciousness perhaps be explained via an appeal to intentionality? Or is it the other way around? What do we mean by ‘consciousness’ anyway? In the course, these questions will be addressed on the basis of central texts in contemporary theoretical and practical philosophy as well as more historical texts in classical phenomenology.